Fresh, lively and energetic, the Spotted Donkey Cantina at el Pedregal is a Scottsdale original. Offering the best drinks, unique food and a festive atmosphere are quickly earning Spotted Donkey Cantina at el Pedregal a reputation as the place to dine in North Scottsdale.

The restaurant's North Scottsdale location provides a fabulous backdrop of 12-million-year-old rock formations and you can catch the Arizona sky creating a stunning atmosphere on our large outdoor patio.

Our reservation was given away due to an error with someone else’s reservation not showing up. We were on time and present when they gave them our table. To accommodate us quickly we were shoved into a corner with a pole that we have to squeeze around. Drinks were left empty for half the meal. The food was bland and unseasoned. Very disappointed in the entire evening. Friends were in town and we boasted about the prior meals. It was anything but exceptional. Winter visitor season isn’t the time to come. We last went in the slow season, August, and the food was so much better! Perhaps they cannot maintain that standard when they have a full house. Disappointed and won’t return, regardless of the time of year.

We have been going here for several years and it is always great. We have taken many guests and they all were impressed with the atmosphere and the food. I love the Chimayo Chile Filete de Puerco (pork tenderloin) and order it most every time I go.

We have been to the Spotted Donkey many times over the past years and have never been disappointed. The menu is smaller these days, which is probably a good thing, and the quality seems to continue. We went with another couple and all of our meals were very good/excellent. We asked for some changes to a couple of dishes and they were very accommodating. Our server was excellent. I still miss the spicy meatloaf.

The food at Spotted Donkey is always excellent. The service was a little slow on this occasion due to our server becoming overwhelmed by a large party. The other wait staff jumped in to help. Recommended for great food, nice atmosphere. Good for kids, fun place to eat with friends.

Spotted Donkey is a local favorite of ours because they consistently deliver great Mexican food. The decor is charming, the service is generally good, and the prices are reasonable. We have eaten here many times and continue to recommend it.

We dine here fairly often. The food is wonderful, the service is attentive but not annoying, prices are good, and did I mention the food is wonderful. We had a little trouble with our reservation and getting a table this time. Restaurants, like you and I, are not perfect. What separates the best from the rest is how they handle it when they do have a problem. Spotted Donkey handled our problem so well that I felt it necessary to thank them for how they treated us. This is a great place to eat and we will be back often.

We had high hopes for the restaurant. We were there celebrating a birthday. Overall, it was an unremarkable experience. We received our appetizers before our drinks. They charge for chips and salsa. Food was ok. Nothing special. No one notified our server that it was a birthday celebration although I noted it in the reservation and I had to discreetly let our server know after the bill was presented. If you are starving and in the area, this place would be fine otherwise I wouldn't recommend.

2nd time bartender did not make the specific type of margarita we ordered - no mixer we asked! But it was pure mixer so had to order 2 more shots of grand marnier for $26. To take away the tang. On top of 30 ritas. Next round we specifically asked waiter to make what we ordered. Better ! The mid age bartender w glasses is lazy n did it again

My always go to meal had changed, but if you ask, they will still make it the old way, which they did. However, the pork loin was way over cooked; by the time I got the attention of our server/bartender, everyone else was almost finished with their meal. They remade my dish to go, but the pork was still too done; I let it go as I hate to complain, just threw it out when we got home. We'll go back, but I will just have to find a new favorite.

Was recommended to this restaurant by several people but it didn't come close to living up to the hype.Chicken in all our dishes was dry and bland, nothing particularly tasty.Kid's meal was equally unimpressive. Quite disappointing.

Somewhat frequent visitor here, new menu in place with some of the old favorites and a few new items. Food always very good, chimi, enchiladas, pork stew, are favorites of our group. Pricing has gone up, which causes the downturn in my value score although candidly it is north Scottsdale. Drinks are expensive, happy hour (before 6pm) saves a couple of dollars. Our server this time was not very good, she never came around to see if we wanted a 2nd round of drinks or desert. Just delivered the checked after the busboy cleared the plates.

The restaurant is really fun and lively and the decor is fantastic. The service was fast. We were a bit disappointed with some of the food . It was bland. Also the top margarita was very average. Overall we enjoyed the whole experience.